David Bole
@boleigh.bsky.social
Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters. Civil Servant (UK). I like fountain pens and equity
“Humanity is frying itself alive but refuses to turn the stove off, because the fumes smell quite tasty. This is how I would summarize our collective cognitive blackout. Stupidity has won” My new article
It's almost as if... scientists were right about C͟l͟i͟m͟a͟t͟e͟ C͟h͟a͟n͟g͟e͟...
What they taught in school: GDP up = good. What they left out: The atmosphere has a limit Soil can die Water runs out 8 billion people need a living planet, not just a growing economy
This makes me SO sad. I listened to Radio 4 longwave morning, noon and night.
paulusthewoodgnome@paulusthewoodgnome.bsky.social · last mo.I don't know why this makes me sad, but it does... 📻 ☹️ 'The BBC has ended its long wave radio broadcasts after almost 100 years. BBC Radio 4, which was the last long wave radio station in the UK, had the service permanently switched off at 1am on Saturday.' www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/bbc-...
Psst, could I interest you in a soupçon of good news?
David Ho@davidho.bsky.social · 2mo agoMangroves, vital for protecting coastlines and storing carbon, are making an unexpected comeback due to increased legal protections and public awareness of their importance. Since 2010, the rate of mangrove loss has slowed down, with more forests being restored than destroyed.
A study published by Forestry England confirms that England has the capacity to sustain golden eagle populations once more, with eight potential, unnamed ‘recovery zones’, mostly in the north of the country, identified as being the most suitable areas northeastbylines.co.uk/news/environ...
Northern England: where eagles soar
A study published by Forestry England confirms that England has the capacity to sustain golden eagle populations once more, with eight potential, unnamed ‘recovery zones’, mostly in the north of the country, identified as being the most suitable areas
northeastbylines.co.uk
The treatment of military aggression like reality TV. Urging people to delight in death and terror.
Matt Novak@paleofuture.bsky.social · 4mo agoThe war crimes have apparently been scheduled
Did BBC radio 4 #Today programme really just do a whole package about drilling in the N Sea without once even mentioning #climate change? And not having anyone challenging the one-sided claims of former BP boss? So irresponsible #bbcr4today
It wouldn't be April Fool's Day without us trying to wind up Rory 😉
You might have formed the impression that Paul Johnson, former director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, knows what he's talking about. The media treats him like the voice of God. But here he is - and not for the first time - talking out of his hat. Let's break it down in a short thread. 🧵
Spoke to the Guardian about the idea of quitting LLMs for climate: -“I see this all as very much part of the tactic of trying to embed these systems into society and instil dependency in a fashion similar to the growth of single-use plastics in the 1970s.” www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Here's all 8 pages of CO2 Newsletter Vol 1 no 1 (Oct 1979) Geologist William N. Barbat published the Newsletter for 3 years (18 issues). They are incredible - detailed, precise and, ultimately, heart-breaking because they reveal how much was known, how many warnings were ignored. 1/8
Tonight Kertasníkir (Candle Stealer), the last of Iceland's 13 Yule Lads, comes down from the mountains. He steals candles (that used to be made from animal fat) and eats them. Children leave their shoes out in the window, he gives the good ones a small gift, the bad ones get a potato.
"I DON'T NEED YOU TO FUCKING REWRITE WHAT I'VE JUST WRITTEN!"
I wanted to get a video of this ghost crab but every time I got close to their hole they scuttled back in, so I tried getting clever with it. I made a little sandcastle and shoved my phone into it, hit record, and walked away. Crab was VERY suspicious of this addition to their environment.
This is not autumn. This is drought stress. Lincolnshire, UK
You can add up all the enjoyable pursuits of LLMs and the work productivity hacks and none of them, separately or together, will be more important than AI’s ecological costs or political disruption. “We” is more important here.
Not even 9am. So far on Radio 6, the news bulletins have featured a mother saying her daughters aren't safe because of asylum seekers, a Tory politician lambasting Labour for crossing numbers & Badenoch encouraging councils to lodge legal challenges against hotels. An endless stream of hateful bile.
Rule 78: Put Street Trees Almost Everywhere Street trees do it all, they... Cut crashes by 45% Raise home values 9% Boost retail sales 12% Clean air, cool streets, absorb stormwater, improve health, and make places more inviting Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...
And there’s thermally modified wood from our very own www.vastern.co.uk which does well against biodegradation in our climate and looks ace.
Timber Merchants | Timber Supplies | Vastern Timber
Vastern Timber are true timber specialists - we're one of the UK's largest timber merchants, providing premium timber supplies all over the country.
vastern.co.uk
Chris Baraniuk@chrisbaraniuk.com · last yr.NEW: I wrote about engineered wood! Including a new, ultra strong version. Using more timber in construction - rather than concrete and steel - could help reduce the carbon footprint on buildings. (Am happy that my editor used my headline, at the top of the article!) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The increasing number of extreme climate events – floods, wildfires, hurricanes, etc – has NOT raised awareness of the threat posed by climate collapse. Instead, people change their idea of normal: the “boiling frog effect”. But “before and after” data can help. www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ju...
‘Boiling frog’ effect makes people oblivious to threat of climate crisis, shows study
Research shows people’s response to binary data could drive more effective ways of communicating gravity of crisis
theguardian.com
The earth is big. Water is powerful. Fire too. Also viruses. Exponential growth can take things from tiny warnings to unmanageable problems pretty darn quick. The human is tiny and 100% dependent on the living planet.
Part of the Palace of Westminster through trees.
From my 3rd evening out on the ile-de-re watching a Long-eared Owl hunt I felt like I was learning its habits - it felt very special. In the distance I could hear it's young calling out for food. I am stood on the edge of a cycle path next to a vineyard. #Frenchbirds
